Bathwater
by LadyIconDraco
Summary: Sarah returns to the Underground as a servant (unbeknownst to Jareth). Last Chapter is a songfic. She cusses a bit. COMPLETED
1. Didymus and Hoggle ok

Look, I finally posted it. Go me! I tried to do Hoggle's accent, it didn't go to well. This will probably be done in three chapters, I hope. The last chapter will be a song fic using No Doubt's song Bathwater.

BTW: I made up a new word. 'indeportable'. Not deportable.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"TOBY!" Sarah shot up in bed, the sound of screeching tires echoing through her mind. "Hoggle," She called between sobs, "I need you." The dwarf appeared at her bedside; she helped him up onto the mattress.

"Did ya' 'ave that dream agin' Sarah?" The twenty-six year old chose not to answer the now rhetorical question. "Ya' avn't had a good nigh's sleep in months."

"It's only been a year. I still can't believe he's gone." The young dreamer paused. "After Karen and Dad's divorce, and Daddy's heart attack," She choked on the words. "It was just the two of us. I thought that we could still be a family if we just stuck together."

"Ya still 'ave em, Tobe and yer da. They're right here." He pointed to her heart. "Ya can do it Sarah, ya can make it."

"Don't you see Hoggle, I can't. Toby and Dad, they were all that held me here. This world never fit right, you know that, I don't fit in." She buried her face in her hands, and cried. Hoggle placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. They sat in silence for a long while. Finally, the dwarf spoke up.

"I can ge' ya a job in the castle, houskeepin. I can't promise that yous'll like it, but the head maid owes me a favor. You'll be the only human, but there'll be some human-like characters around.

"Humanoids?"

"Yeah, humanoids." Sarah could hardly believe it, she could go back Underground, to stay.

"Hoggle, do mean it?"

"Would I a said it if'n I didn't?" She enveloped the gate keeper in a hug. "But I has to warn ya, if'n ya stay, ya prolly won't be human long. The Labyrinth changes ya, it isn't 'is Majesty's magic that turns them babies inta Goblins, it's the Labyrinth." Seeing the look on her face, he further elaborated on the topic. "Ya only become a goblin if ya be a goblin at heart. Look at me, I became a dwarf and the Fae were human once, though they won't admit it." Sarah relaxed and felt the joy of going someplace she would fit in, at least a little.

"You were wished away?" The gardener nodded. "What about Didymus?

"Yes and Ludo too." The dwarf answered.

"Are all of the creatures children who were wished away?" Her companion shook his head.

"Most are descended from the people who first crossed the barrier, only a few were wished away." Hoggle climbed off of the bed. "I's should be goin. I'll talk to the head maid and come get ya in two days." He started to fade out.

"Two days?" The human questioned; Hoggle nodded.

"His Majesty is goin away for a while, I's wants ta get ya settled afore ya 'ave top start avoidin him. 'e isn't gonna like you's comin' so we won't let 'im know till ya be indeportable. I mean's till ya race is changed." Sarah nodded, not wanting to deal with the monarch until absolutely necessary.

"Then I'll see you in two days." The dwarf nodded assent and faded all the way out.

Two Days Later

Sarah followed Hoggle down the long halls of the castle; they entered the servant lodging. A short creature, similar in appearance to Hoggle, but taller and more human, stood next to a door, obviously waiting for something. Hoggle walked right up to her.

"Bruhild, this is the girl I spoke to you's about." The little creature, Sarah decided to think of it as a Halfling, looked her up and down critically.

"She's a mortal." A female voice exited the genderless form.

"Yes, she is, but she knows the Rules as well as a human can." Hoggle had questioned her about every form of mythology she know, and some she didn't. A little book now sat in her pocket, she was to read it and report what she had learned to Hoggle. "She will do as she is asked, so long as the demand isn't ridiculous."

"Good. Come child this will be your room

. Being the only human right now you get you own, but as soon as another human comes or you start changing you going to bunk with others. The bathroom is through there, you'll share it with any future bunkmates. Put your things in that dresser, I'll be back in a bit to get you started." The being headed out.

"Thank you." Sarah called after the Halfling; the creature waved it off. Hoggle entered the room.

"Thas' Bruhild, she'll be yer boss. I gotta go now though, there's a infestation of faries in the King's tulip garden." Sarah waved him off, mentally questioning. _Tulip garden?_

The young adult proceeded to place her things around the room, at Hoggle's suggestion she had donated most of her possessions to charity. She finished unpacking just as Bruhild returned.

"Finished?" At Sarah's nod the Halfling headed out of the room, the human followed. "Every morning you will start in the kitchens, washing the dishes as they are used." They passed through a black door, nearly invisible on the dark wall. Immediately, they were engulfed in sound, clanking, shouting, banging, bombarding her ears. There was movement everywhere; Sarah was forced to shut her eyes for a moment so as not to get dizzy. Bruhild grabbed her hand and pulled her to an open sink. "I will come back when you're finished and take you to your next task." As an afterthought, the Halfling added, "Have you eaten yet?" Sarah nodded, still overwhelmed by the scene. "Good, I'll leave you know, if you need anything just yell for it, one of the runners will hear." With that last bit of information she disappeared into the mass of people. Turning to the sink, the young human got to work.

Three hours later a surprised Bruhild appeared at her side as Sarah put the last dish on the drying rack. "You're fast for a mortal." The head maid grudgingly admitted. "Come on." The pair went to yet another room. "Can you sew?" Sarah shook her head. "Thought not, you can pull stitches though, correct?"

"Yes."

"Good. Grab a chair and a basket. A runner should be bringing lunch here soon." The mortal did as she was told and began pulling stitches out of the hem of a pair of trousers. More workers soon filled the room, gossip filling the air. The subject of  conversation near Sarah soon turned to her as her presence was noticed.

"I say she was only recommended cause she gave old stony some pushin' pleasure." Sarah's face grew red with anger and no small bit of embarrassment. However, someone else spoke before she could retort.

"Not only would Hoggle not stoop to that level, but its obvious to anyone with half a brain that his interests do not lie…there." Bruhild did not look up as she defended he friend, but she did when Sarah spoke up.

"I do agree with your assessment of Hoggle, but what do you mean by 'his interests do not lie there'? Surprise filled the Halfling's features, a nearby elf snorted. Bruhild continued.

"You don't know? I thought you were friends with Sir Didymus and Hoggle."

"I am."

"And you don't know?" The maids staling caused Sarah to become frustrated.

"No, I don't know. Will you just tell me already?" Her anger got the better of her and several nearby sewers flinched.

"Got a temper like his Majesty, she does." The mortal glared at the dwarf who had spoken. Bruhild finally answered Sarah's question to stop whatever argument might come.

"Sir Didymus and Hoggle are…together."

"What do you me…oh." _Didymus__ and Hoggle, a couple?_

Four hours after the conversation about her friends, Sarah found herself following Gruhild to yet another room. The doors to this one were plated in silver and engraved with images from all over the Labyrinth. Something told Sarah to run as far away from these doors as possible, but she followed the Halfling in regardless.

"This is His Majesty's suite." Sarah's breath caught at the idea. Note to self, trust my instincts next time. "You will be responsible for changing the sheets, dusting the mantel, bringing in his clean clothes, and cleaning the bathroom. You are not to touch any of his personal belongings apart from his clothes and with a duster. Sarah was in shock, all she could do was nod an affirmative when Bruhild asked is she understood. Having to deal personally with the king had not crossed her mind; she had hoped to avoid dealing with him at all. It was a big castle, what were the chances of her encountering him? According to Hoggle he would be out of the castle for two more weeks, she would have that long to adjust before there was any chance that she would interact with him. Hopefully, by then she would be familiar enough with the castle to avoid him.


	2. With a name like Sarah

Two weeks came and went, Sarah fell into routine, her heart began to heal from the wounds of her loss, and her body began to change.

"Sarah, come here child." Bruhild had quickly warmed to the newest maid; it was hard not to like her. "That's right; now open your mouth for me." Sarah complied. "Looks like you're growing some fangs on you."

"Fangs?!"

"Calm yourself now, let me have another look." Sarah bent down again. "Yes, some sharp ones too. Not Vampire or Werewolf, certainly not Dragon. They don't appear to have the pink sheen of pixie either. What do you think Grudel?" The dwarf made her way over and looked into Sarah's mouth.

"Blimey. I's think's them be Fae teeth if you's be askin me." Sarah backed away from the pair.

"I'm becoming like…like…" The young maid did not want to offend her friends; she knew that they held great loyalty to the king.

"His Majesty?"

"That's not… I didn't…"

"You didn't say it, but you were thinking it. I'm not surprised; with Hoggle as a friend you can't have heard anything nice about His Majesty." It took Sarah a moment to realize that she was about to spill her secret.

"I'd say 'is Majesty would be prejudice against her too, with a name like Sarah." Grudel laughed at her own joke. The newcomer had already been told the story of her adventure from the occupant's point of view. Sarah's curiosity got the better of her though, no matter how much she already knew.

"What would he do to that Sarah, if she returned?"

"'ed prolly lock her in his room and not let her out the sheets for the rest of eternity." The dwarf fell over herself laughing. Bruhild slapped the dwarf on the arm.

"Be nice," She turned to look at Sarah. "The king truly loved that girl, the whole castle knows it. He still loves her."

"So 'ed marry 'er and then lock 'er in 'is bedroom forever." Grudel did not notice the look of surprise on Sarah's face from Bruhild's comment. _The king truly loved that girl_.

"I...I should get to my other duties." She rushed out of the room, thoughts running through her mind at the speed of light. _Them are Fae teeth. He still loves her_. In her daze she did not notice that her duties brought her to the vary place she wanted to be least, the King's room. Shrugging at her absent mindedness the half human continued her cleaning. She froze at the sound of the door opening. _He's back today. _Controlling her breathing, Sarah continued dusting. The half mortal looked through the mirror she was cleaning at the Fae who had entered. _Jareth._ He ignored her presence and began to undress. Blushing, Sarah moved onto a different item, not wanting to watch. Or not wanting to be caught watching. Came an inner voice, she blushed even deeper. The silence bit into Sarah, she broke it, searching for a reason to leave the room that now contained a half-dressed being from her teenage dreams.

"Shall I run you a bath your Majesty?" The monarch was silent for a moment.

"Yes do that. Also, as you are new, I will warn you, **once**. Do not enter my rooms after dinner, I **always** have… guests."

"Yes, your Majesty." She moved to the bathroom to start his bath. She made a quick exit after the tub was filled.

Running down the hallway; trying to get as far away from the king and his bedroom as possible, Sarah ran into Bruhild. Literally.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching." The mortal helped the housekeeper to her feet.

"It's quite alright dear, I wasn't watching either. I was going to get you actually; I never quite finished my explanation." They headed toward Sarah's room. There were no Fae servants, so her room was still her own.

"Explanation?"

"Yes. I was going to further explain the races of this world." The Halfling opened the door and sat herself upon Sarah's bed, with only a little help from a footstool. "You see those not born in the Underground aren't the only ones who change. Take me for example. I was born a goblin, but somethin in me decided that being a goblin wasn't for me, so I changed. I became half-goblin, and half-elf. Some completely change species instead of a simple half-change. As for his Majesty, he was born full-blooded Fae, but he doesn't have the right personality to be full Fae. Oh, he's pretty close to them, being ¾, but he's also a quarter Incubi. You could tell it wasn't a full half cause he doesn't have the wings."

"In…Incubi?" _Why am I not surprised?_

"Yeah, that's why most of the court thought that he and Princess Illena were a perfect match, her being half-succubi and all. He hates her though, their having a terrible fed, seeing who can last the longest." Bruhild shook her head warily as she moved toward the door.

"Last longer?"

"Sure, its in their natures to compete, but they both always last till morning."

"Till…oh." _A competition, using sex?_

"She should be here tonight, it being Tuesday and all." _Every week?_ "Say, I'm short a runner today, would you fill in for him at dinner tonight? You probably won't have to do anything, but I'd like to have someone there just incase."

"Sure"

Sarah filled in with the other runners, placing her dish and then taking her place in an alcove, ready to be called for if something was needed. Grudel joined her in the dark corner.

Jareth entered escorting a girl who looked younger than Sarah.

"Is that Princess Illena?" She whispered to Grudel, disgusted with the idea of Jareth sleeping with someone so young.

"Her? Oh heavens no, that's his sister Queen Ake, the Dragon Queen. He never eats with Illena, not food at least." The dwarf laughed silently at her own joke. Sarah bristled and suddenly felt like hitting her companion, but stopped herself. _Don't kill the messenger….wait…am I jealous? No, not because of him…right?_ The pair was close enough to the table to hear the conversation.

"So brother, how are things with your…special guests?" _She's direct._ The king sighed before replying to his sister's question.

"They are beginning to bore me, even Illena is starting to grow tiresome, and I believe that I will defeat her tonight."

"Really? Then what will you do with your Tuesday nights?"

"I believe I'll drop all of my present 'friends'. I'd like some new 'entertainment'." Ake pulled a sheet of paper out of her sleeve.

"Princess Estonia, the youngest daughter of King Ferush, has taken an interest in you. All of the Serpentine princesses **and** ladies are presently vying for your attention. I believe there are thirty-two all together, but judging by their attention span it won't last long. There are a few various others if you'd like to take a look." She passed the paper to the other monarch. He has a list of girls who want to sleep with him? And his sister is his pimp?

The king read over the paper. "Garshue." Out of an alcove across the room from Sarah, an elf answered his king's calls/

"Yes, sire?"

"Set a dinner date with Princess Estonia of the Phoenix Kingdom for Thursday of next week."

"Of course, sire. Shall I inform the Princess Fortuna that you will have to cancel your previous arrangements?" The elf had taken out a pad of paper and began writing.

"Yes, send notice to all of my usual guests. Wait to deliver them until the morning."

"Of course, your Majesty." A clock chimed the eighth hour, sending a shiver of memory down Sarah's back, as the chiming always did.

"That is my cue sister dear; shall I see you next week? Unless, of course, you have a guest of your own?" He questioned teasingly.

"Next week it is. As of yet, my guests are merely of the political kind." Ake gave her brother a polite bow and disappeared.

Sarah was headed back to her rooms when a sudden realization hit her. _My supplies are still in his rooms._ In her haste to escape his presence she had left them. _If he finds them Bruhild will be in deep trouble. _She rushed to his chambers and paused outside. No noise came from within the room, so she picked up her supplies. Her bag was the last item; it lay under the tub. Just as she put the last of her items in the bag, the door to the suite opened.

"Shit." If he finds me here, I'm in so much trouble, not to mention the fact that I doubt he'll let me get away with not looking at him. He can't see my face. She decided to wait for him to go to bed, until she heard a feminine giggle and remembered his dinnertime conversation. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, fuck." Barely keeping her curses at a whisper, Sarah set in for a long wait. Several hours later a silence filled to room, startling Sarah out of her daze.

Muffled footsteps headed for the bathing room door, in a panic, the young woman grabbed her bag and headed for a second door in the bathroom, one she had only ever polished, never opened. She quietly closed the door behind her. Concentrating on the door and what lay beyond, it took her a moment to notice her surroundings.


	3. The End

            Yay, the last chapter! I hope that you like it! I cut out three stanzas of the song and added repeated a line.

Disclaimer: I do not own the song Bathwater by No Doubt, or the Labyrinth.

Pictures covered the walls; it gave Sarah the impression of a museum, but all of the pictures were of women. The walls nearest the door held bronze framed portraits, further along the portraits turned to silver and then to gold. One frame in the center at the far side of the room was made of crystal, but it bore no picture and she could not make out the words at the bottom from that distance.

**You an your**

**Museum of lovers**

**The precious collection you've housed in your covers**

**My simpleness threatened by my own admission.**

            She walked slowly down the long room, toward the crystal frame, some unknown force drawing her forward. With her mind focused on the far wall, she did not hear the footsteps coming toward the room, nor did she hear the knob turn. The bag slipped from her fingers as the words below the empty frame became discernable.

**And the bags are much too heavy**

**In my insecure condition**

**My pregnant mind is fat full with envy again**

**But I still love to wash in your old bathwater**

**Love to think that you couldn't love another**

**I can't help it… you're my kind of man**

"Queen Sarah of the Mortal Realm."

_But what no one knew was that the King had fallen in love with the girl. "'Ed marry 'er and then lock 'er in 'is bedroom forever." "Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." Is that, does that mean…does he love me?  _A voice broke through the chaos of her mind.

**Wanted and adored by attractive women**

**Bountiful selection at your discretion**

**I know I'm driving into my destruction**

"What are you doing in here?" She spun around, forgetting that she was avoiding his notice. "Sarah?" He was right in front of her, having followed her across the room. Surprise turned to sly humor as he took a step forward. In response, Sarah stepped back; they continued this until Sarah's back hit the crystal frame that bore her name in anticipation. Jareth closed the distance between them, and spoke into her ear. "Couldn't stay away?" Anger rose within her at his arrogance, and anger at herself for believing that he could love her. _He just wants to 'conquer' the one who conquered his Labyrinth. He wouldn't want me for my looks, not with his list of probably gorgeous princesses._ Her head dropped as her thoughts brought tears to her eyes. _Why am I crying? It's not like I love him._ Jareth grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes.

**So why do we choose the boys that are naughty?**

**I don't fit in, so why do you want me?**

**I know I can't tame you… but I just keep trying.**

"Don't you? I'd say you're lying to yourself on more than one thing." Does he mean? Does he…? "Love you?" He kissed her bringing to her attention the emotions that she had hidden away to protect herself. "What do you think?"

"What about Illena and Estonia? Do you 'love' them too?" Her inner deviance flaring at his noncommittal answer; he laughed at her jealous reaction.

**'Cause I love to wash in your old bathwater**

**Love to think that you couldn't love another**

**I'm on your list with all your other women**

**But I still love to wash in your old bathwater**

**Love to think that you couldn't love another**

**I can't help it… you're my kind of man**

**Why do the good girls always want the bad boys?**

            "I used them to keep me entertained until you returned to me."

"Oh, and how did you know I would?" A Cheshire grin was his response to her question, as he asked one of his own.

            "Tell me Sarah, how flexible are you?" She slapped his arm and proceeded to show him just how flexible she was.

**Why do the good girls always want the bad boys?**

            Princess Illena woke the next morning to find herself tied, upside down, over the Bog of Eternal Stench with a note attached to her bindings.

"I hope you enjoyed out little competition. I needed the bed, but didn't want to wake you. I hope you enjoy the bath I ran you. Don't call me, I won't call you." The note disintegrated when she finished reading it, as did the ropes.

The End

I hope that you enjoyed it! Please review!

Draco


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